Surgery Boot Camp

Surgery Boot Camp is an intense, interactive, practically based curriculum designed to prepare fourth-year medical students for surgical internship by helping students develop clinical skills in a safe, structured setting.

Over a four-week period, students engage with surgical residents, attendings, nurse practitioners and ancillary staff in a dedicated surgical environment.

The curriculum revolves around equipping students with skills to perform common operating room and emergency procedures, making sound decisions regarding peri-operative floor and ICU management, understanding surgical anatomy, and improving effective communication so they can easily transition to and excel in their first year of surgical training.

Special emphasis is given to practice-based learning, with daily hands-on sessions including suture and knot tying drills, trauma and emergency scenarios, laparoscopy skills, and anatomy sessions.

Students are expected to take a few “mock” home pager calls in which post-operative scenarios will be presented, requiring students to think and respond quickly under pressure.

Upon completion of this course, students will have reviewed, significantly extended, and refined their knowledge of surgical procedures. They also gain hands-on experience with common challenges faced by surgical interns, and thereby avoid pitfalls and raise their overall confidence as they enter surgical internship.